The National Elephant Institute was founded as the Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC) in 1993. In January 2002, in order to enlarge the scope of

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

efforts and address the issues facing

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

's elephants, it was proposed that the TECC be renamed the National Elephant Institute. Despite that, the older name is still in use. It is in Hang Chat District,

Lampang Province Lampang ( th, ลำปาง, ; Northern Thai: ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), lies in upper northern Thailand. The old name of Lampang was ''Khelang Nakhon''. Geography Lampang is in the broad river valley of the ...

. Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is associated with the institute. The objective of the National Elephant Institute is to develop elephant

in a sustainable way and preserve local

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

s for future generations. The institute also aims to improve the

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

business, in which there is an extensive involvement of elephants in tourism-related activities, for the benefit of elephants as well as tourists. The National Elephant Institute is a

World Elephant Day World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. Conceived in 2011 by Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures, and Sivaporn D ...

associate.

References

External links

Thai Elephant Conservation Center (TECC)
Wildlife conservation in Thailand Research institutes in Thailand Tourist attractions in Lampang province Elephant conservation organizations Organizations established in 1993 1993 establishments in Thailand Elephants in Thailand {{Thailand-stub